Power-plant installation



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H. T. HERR POWER PLANT INSTALLATION Filed March 51, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR H T. H e rr.

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Applieationled March 31, 1927. Serial No. 179,811.v

My invention relates to prime mover gen erator apparatus, more particularly to that type employing an exciter, and it has for an object to provide apparatus oi this cha-racter which shall be of a unitary type, which shall be relatively simple romthe standpoints or supporting the component parts and of transmitting power from the prime mover to the generator and tothe exciter, and which shall be very economical in its requirements for space.

- In the applications orn Henry F.` Schmidt, Serial No. 118,257, filed J une 2li, 1926, and ot Alexander 'il Kasley and myself, Serial No. 179,814, tiled March 31, 1927, both of which applications have been assigned to the Westnghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, there are disclosed polyhedral forms oi prime niover generator organizations which are characterized by the provision of polyhedral rarnes about which are disposed engine means and within which, in part at least, are disposed generators, each engine means including a plurality of crank shafts connected by suitable gearing to a generator. This type of power plant apparatus is peculiarly suitable -lor railway locomotives as the square formation is well adapted to litV the interior of a suitable car structure, and, as the power plant units may be spaced fairly close together, a locomotive of the Diesel electric type having relatively large power may be provided.

Wit-h vDiesel electric locomotives, it is customary to provide exciters. In accordance with present invention, I mount the exciter means above the polyhedral engine and drive it mechanically trom any suitable part receivingl power from the engine. With this arrangement, therefore, the lateral boundaries of a power plant unit are deined by the engine means, 'the generator being surrounded thereby, at least in part, and the exciter being supported thereabove, with the` result that no 'door space, in addition to that required lor the engine .means proper, is necessary either lor the generator or ior the exciter.

Adecordingly, therefore, it is a `iuther oby invention to provide power plant ninodying internal combustion engine l generators, and exciters so as to be l v suitable tor installation in locornostructures, which utilize to goed oie interior spaces ot said structures,

and which do not require Hoor space for the generators and. exciters.

Q These and other objects are effected by my invention as will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, 1n which:

F ig. 1 is an elevation of a power plant intallation embodying my improved organizaion;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view showing more clearly mechanical interconnections of the structure shown in lig.` l; and,

Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views showing modified Ways of driving the exciter means.

Referring now to the drawings more in detail, I show a polyhedral trame 10, engine means 11 disposed about the frame and carriedtliereby, a generator l2 supported by the frame, and an exciter 13 supported by the generator. In Fig. 1, the exciter 13 is disposed laterally of the upperportion ot the generator, while, in. Figs. 3 and l, the exciteris arranged above the generator. The generator and the exciter means are driven by the engine means as will hereinafter appear.

The traine lO'is or a polyhedra'l or'box type, as disclosed more particularly in the application of Alexander T. Iasley and myself, already referred to, and consisting of vertical side plates 15, horizontal side plates 16,17 and i8, and vertical corner or cylinder supporting plates 19. 'Ille cylinder supporting plates l@ are provided with lower or leg portions 29 which support the installation. 'lhe engine means l1 embody a plurality ol groups ot cylinders arranged'horizontally, each group consisting ot parallel cylinders arranged parallel to a vertical. side plate 15. rI'lie terminal portions of the cylinders 21 are supported by the corner plates 19, whereas the intermediate portions ot the cylinders are anchored by elements 22 carried by the side plates lhe pistons in the cylinders are connected by rods 23 to corner cranlr sliatts 2d carried by bearings arranged in the angular spaces between the vertically disposed cylinder supporting plates adjacent to the vertical. corners ot the The crans.

shafts 2d ve gears 25 connect- ,nds thereof and meshing with tter, in turn, meshing with the i 28 on the rotor sha-tt 2Q oi.E the frame.

generator 12. The gearing is arranged below the generator and the engine means and is located between the horizontal plates 17 and 18.

The generator 12 depends within and extends above the frame 10, it preferably being provided with feet 30 bearing on the top of the In Fig. 1, I show the exciter 13 aligned with the right hand front crank shaft, bracket means 31 being provided for securement to bracket means 32 on the generator. As may be seen from diagrammatic Fig. `2, the exciter rotor is connected by a suitable coupling 33 to the upper end of one of the crank shafts 24. It will also be clear from Fig. 2, that all of the crank shafts 24 of the engine means as well `as the generator rotor shaft 29 are arranged substantially parallel and connected by the gearing referred to at the lower part of the installation. In this way, both the generator and the exciter may be operated directly by rotatable elements receiving power from the engine means.

In Fig. 3, I show a modified arrangement of an exciter 13 whose rotor is driven from the generatorshaft 29 through the intermediary of speed increasing gearing 34 and the scavenge blower 35. Owing to the relatively greater speed, the exciter 13u of Fig. 3 may be' made smaller than the exciter 13 of Fig. 1; however, with the employment of similar scavenge blower apparatus, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the arrangement shown in Fig. 1 is advantageous for the reason that the vertical height of `a car may be utilized to better advantage.

In Fig. 4, I show a further modified arrangement of exciter means which is peculiarly suitable for use in connection with the gear type of scavenging blower apparatus. In general, infaccordance with the last-named application, the generator is depressed so as to minimize the vertical hei' ht of the installation, this result, in part, eing permitted by the geared type of blower apparatus. In Fig. 4, I show fragmentarily such apparatus wherein the generator rotor shaft 29v is connected to a gear 36, the latter meshing with pinions 37. f

Four pinions 37 are preferably distributed about the-periphery' of the gear and housing structure cooperates therewith so that each pinion 37 and thel cooperating center gear constitute a gear pumping pair, all of the gear pumping pairs being utilized for the purpose of-developing air under pressure to be supplied to the engine cylinders for scavengin the latter. This arrangement is well adapted for the purpose of operating the exciters 13b, the latter having the rotors thereof connected to shafts 38 driven by the pinions 37. Since the pinions 37 are materially less in diameter than, the central driving gear 36, eachof the exciters 13b will be driven at relatively a much greater speed than the generator shaft 29 with the result that each exciter may be made relatively smaller than is the case where the exciter is driven from a crank shaft. Furthermore, the blower arrangement shown in Fig. 4 makes it possible to still further reduce the size of the exciter in that a plurality of exciters may be used ,instead of one, as there may be an exciter driven by each of the pinbest advantage the space limitations existing in railway rolling stock practise.

While I have shown my invention in but three forms, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it isnot so limited, but issusceptible of various other changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon .as are imposed by the prior art or as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In power plant apparatus, the combination of a generator, an exciter supported by the generator, a prime mover supporting the generator, and means for transmitting motion from the prime mover to the generator and to the exciter.

2. In power plant apparatus, the combination of engine means having a plurality of driven shafts, a generator having a rotor shaft, means for transmitting power -from an exciter, and means for transmitting power from one of said shafts to the exciter;

3. In power plant apparatus, the combination of engine means having a plurality of parallel crank shafts, a generator having a rotor shaft parallel to the crank shafts, gearing for connecting the shafts at one end, an exciter, and means associate-d with the other end of one of said shafts for driving the exciter.

4. In power plant apparatus, the combination of engine means including a plurality of vertical crank shafts, a generator having a vertical rotor shaft, means associated with the lower ends of the shafts for transmitting monaca shafts, a generator supported by the frame and including a rotor shaft, means for transmitting power from the crank shafts to the rotor shaft, an exciter carried by the generator, and means ior transmitting power :from one ot said shafts to the exciter,

6. lin power plant apparatus, the combination ci a traine, engine means disposed about and carried by 'the frame and including a plurality oit vertical. crank shafts, a generator carried by the iframe with a part thereof depending within the trame and a part thereof extending above the frame, said generator including a vert-ical shaft, means associated with the lower ends ot said shatts for transmitting' power from the crank shafts to the rotorishait, an exciter disposed above the frame and carried Vby the generator, and means associated with the upper end or one of said shafts for 'transmitting power from the latter to the exciter.

7.. lin power plant apparatus, the combina tion oi' a vertical polyhedral frame, polyhedral engine means surrounding and carried by the ramewand including a plurality ot vertical crank shafts, a generator carried by the frame and including a vertical rotor shalt, means associated with the lower ends ol said shafts for transinittinp,H power from the crank shaits to the rotor sha-lt, an exciter, and means associated with the upper end of one or said shafts :tor transmitting power theren trom to the exciter.

8. ln power plant apparatus, the combinam tion oit a vertical polyhedral frame, polyhe dral engine means sinrolmdin,eband carried by the Aframe and including a plurality ot vertical crank shafts, a generator carried by the trame and including a vertical rotor shaft, means associated with the lower ends ot said shaits :for transmitting power from tion of a vertical frame, a prime mover d1s.

posed about and supported laterally by the frame, a generator and an exciter supported by the frame, and 'means for transmitting M power from the prime mover to the generator and to the exciter.

l0. In power plant apparatus, the combination of a vertical frame, a prime mover disposed about and supported laterally by the trame, a generator and an exciter supported by the top ot' the traine, and means for transmitting power from the prime mover to the generator and to the exciter.

ll. In power plant apparatus, the combination otengine means having al plurality of driven shafts, a generator disposed at one end of toe engine means, said generator havingv a rotor shaft, means tor transmitting power trom all of said driven shafts to the rotor shaft, an exciter disposed laterally of the generator, and means for transmitting power from one ot said shafts to the exciter.

l2. ln power plant apparatus, the combination of engine means having a plurality of driven sha-tts, a generator disposed at one end oft the engine means, said generator having a, rotor shaft, means tor transmitting power from all of said driven shafts to the rotor shalt, and an exciter supported upon the generator and connected to one of the driven shafts oix said engine means. Y

' in testimony whereof?, l have hereunto subscribed my name this 22nd day ot March,

HERBERT T., HERR., 

